Meditations on Grace

Top Posts of 2011

I started Rural Theologian in August, so it may seem a little silly to be posting my most popular blog entries when I’ve been blogging less than six months. But I’m doing it anyway. I’ll make two remarks about the list before I reveal them. First, the blog has been growing in traffic over the past two months, so the top 5 will be fairly recent, the earliest being published in early November. Second, the top two posts were not written by me. This probably says something about me as a writer, but it also says something about my dear brother who wrote them. So, without further ado, here’s the list:

#5 The JV Pastor– Too many youth ministries have games and fun as their foundation. It’s time for churches and youth ministers to take seriously their responsibility to teach the Word of God to the students.

#4 Marriage is Not About Staying in Love– Taken from the first chapter of John Piper’s This Momentary Marriage, it’s a look at the heart of marriage, which was created as a picture of Christ’s love for His bride, the church. Therefore, the fundamental purpose of marriage is to reveal God’s covenant-keeping love.

#3 Interracial Marriage in the Church– Interracial marriage, particularly in the South, is generally frowned up, to say the least. The post examines the topic biblically, and we find that interracial marriage is actually a beautiful picture of Christ’s love for the church. This was a joy for me to write.

#2 Is Abortion Justified After a Rape?– Proposition 26 caused quite a stir across Mississippi and the nation. Abortion debates could be found on TV, radio, Facebook, and around the dinner table. Matthew Delaughter and I noticed that many Christians were using cases of rape as an excuse for abortion, so Matthew decided to address the issue.

#1 Acquainted with Grief: Incarnation and Infertility– Yes, this post was just published two days ago, but it has blown all others away in terms of popularity. Matthew did an incredible job of showing how the incarnation, or the coming of Christ, brings comfort for the suffering and downtrodden. I believe the reason this post touched so many is because Matthew wrote, not as a theologian who develops his doctrine isolated from life, but as one who solidified his theology amidst the messiness and pain of life. There is good reason why this was the top post of 2011.

Well, that’s it! I hope you’ve enjoyed and learned from some of the posts at the blog this year. By God’s grace, I hope to continue writing in 2012 also, and I hope you decide to stick around.

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One thought on “Top Posts of 2011”

Brother, you are faithful at this blog multiple times a week, and I can assure that is one thing I could not do well. We love your blog and pray that the Lord continues to minister and sharpen many through it.